The Avatar Complex
by ProfessorFox
Summary: Ever wondered about the life story of the very first Avatar? Well, every legend has a beginning...
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Avatar Complex  
**Author:** ProfessorFox  
**Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** Nothing huge  
**Genre:** Drama/Fantasy  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of its content.  
**Summary:** Ever wondered about the life story of the very first Avatar in the world? Well, every legend has a beginning...

_Long ago, the people of my world lived together harmoniously and bended the energies within themselves. Then, everything changed when the four elements were discovered: the badgermoles gave us earthbending, the dragons gave us firebending, the sky bison gave us airbending, and the Moon gave us waterbending. Energybending became a forgotten art and the people of my world became divided and war-like. All hope for peace seemed lost. That is, until I, the Avatar, was born. Though it would take many years for me to discover my true identity, I knew from a very early age that I was meant to see the world._

* * *

_Book 1: Water_

Chief Powhatek woke up every morning just before the sun finally rose above the horizon. He was always the first to wake in his tribe and the last to fall asleep. Worries and fears plagued him more than he would ever let on to his people, or even himself at times. But there was always a brief flash of brutal honesty that washed over him as he, as usual, stood and stared out at the sea alone.

He looked back at his people, still sleeping in their huts with all of their respective families, and then looked back to the sea. He looked back at the open ocean where the Great Land Bridge once stood and desperately searched within himself for the answer. Was he right to bring his people here? Was it wise to travel across the Great Land Bridge as so many had done before him? Was trying to build a settlement at the very northern tip of their world the best decision for all of them? Deep down he didn't know.

Suddenly, Chief Powhatek heard the sound of a little girl in the distance. He turned back to the huts and saw nothing. Then he heard the joyous scream yet again. He looked down the shore and finally spotted her. He ran to her. His vision had become impaired with old age and he couldn't tell who the girl was. He knew everyone in his tribe but he hadn't expected one of their youngest to wander off. Didn't she know how dangerous it was to be alone out there!?

He finally reached her and prepared to scold the girl until he realized what she was out there doing?

"Hey! Mr. Powhatek, look! I can do it! I'm just like you!" the little girl said as she held two fish encased in water bubbles, one in each hand. The fish spiraled in two opposing directions, hoping to swim away from the young waterbender. Chief Powhatek smiled. He still had half a mind to tell her to never walk off alone again but he decided to wait until later for that. Instead, he congratulated the little girl and took the fish from her with his own bending. From this distance, he could finally see who the five year old was.

"Let's go show the rest of the tribe how special you are, Kuzara."

The little girl beamed with admiration and skipped merrily alongside him as they prepared to wake the tribe. The sun, after all, had finally risen and Chief Powhatek became more sure of himself than ever before.

* * *

Kuzara loved being a waterbender. Being a water tribesman, however, was not as fun. Sure she gained love and respect from her people and she was also apparently more than exceptional at the bending art. That wasn't the problem.

The problem came as she grew up. She remembered the long training sessions she would have with Chief Powhatek ever since she was a mere child. They were often quite grueling. Mere thought alone of some of them made the hair on the nape of her neck tremble. There were times when Kuzara wanted to run away and give up on waterbending entirely, especially since she felt like she was getting harsher treatment than the other waterbending students. For Koh's sake, the man once left her to fend for herself in the frozen tundra their tribe dared not explore. She was ten.

Whenever Kuzara spoke out to Chief Powhatek about this, however, he said it was all to help hone her skills and overcome her fears.

"How does leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere help me _not _be afraid!?" she screamed at him. "And how come you treat me so much worse than everyone else you teach!? I thought you cared about me!"

Chief Powhatek seemed genuinely hurt by Kuzara's accusation that he didn't care about her and tried his best to explain. "I do care about you. I asked your father to let me teach you because I saw something special inside you that I wanted to cultivate. I knew you had more potential than the rest of us, even me. Perhaps my methods were extreme but you must realize that this world is cruel and merciless to those who let fear control them."

Kuzara's mood wasn't stabilizing and she still felt too abandoned to let the issue drop.

"If you wanted me to stop being afraid because you think the world is bad then why didn't you give the same lesson to any of the other waterbenders? And why do you care so much about the world when you brought us as far away from it as possible? It's not like I'm going anywhere…" Kuzara crossed her arms over her chest and darted her eyes away from the elder waterbender. She pouted, hoping he would notice her obvious hurt.

"That's just it, though. I believe you are, Kuzara. And perhaps you don't realize it yourself quite yet but I think you were meant to do great things. I can tell every time you waterbend. Just last year, when you were only nine years old, you were able to create a small water spout that lifted you up eight or so feet in the air! The water spout is an advanced waterbending technique."

Kuzara's eyes met her mentor's once more. She saw the same pride and admiration she had seen many times before and it melted her. It absolutely melted her. She hated how difficult it was for her to hold a grudge. She sighed and stared past Chief Powhatek at the great expanse of the ocean.

As if reading her thoughts, Powhatek continued. "Even though the Great Land Bridge collapsed shortly after our people crossed it, I still believe that you will one day see the rest of the world, Kuzara. One day." He walked away from her but Kuzara shouted back to him.

"What about you!?" she said.

He did not reply. Kuzara wasn't sure if he had heard her or not, but deep down she felt that the answer was probably obvious anyway. Not wanting to think about it further, she turned her attention back to the vast waters before her.

* * *

"Happy birthday, my little angel," Kuzara's mother said tenderly as she handed her a plate made out of ice that was filled with hot, crispy seal jerky. It was Kuzara's favorite dish and one of the few things she absolutely loved about her culture.

"We hope you have a wonderful thirteenth birthday, dear," her father said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will. Thanks Mom!" Kuzara began to nibble her way through the juicy delicacy. Her father always made fun of her for being so petite, even while eating her favorite food. Today was no different.

"You eat like a baby koala otter," he teased.

"Well it's better than eating like a lunatic, Alrick!" her mother shot back.

"Yeah well everyone is a lunatic in your eyes, Siska."

And so the usual bickering began. After finishing her (out of this world delicious!) seal jerky, Kuzara snuck out of the family hut while her parents continued their harmless bickering. She strolled casually throughout the village while the sun was still out, hoping to find some way to entertain herself on her birthday.

Many of her people were in their homes. She walked by one middle-aged woman who was healing her husband's recent injury after his latest hunting trip. Though she wasn't related to them by blood, she always knew them as Uncle Zato and Aunt Aurora. The two of them were good friends of her and her family, and Aunt Aurora had taught Kuzara everything she knew about healing.

Kuzara waved to them warmly and they waved back, wishing her a happy birthday. Kuzara wondered if anyone else in the village would wish her a happy birthday. She moved on the next person she could find, which happened to be another waterbending student of Chief Powhatek's. She was also the only other female student of his, aside from Kuzara. The other fifteen or so were males of varying ages. This girl, however, was probably the only member of her entire village that Kuzara didn't particularly like. Still, she tried to keep things civil at all times. The girl _was_ five years older than her after all. In fact, she was the oldest student Chief Powhatek had. Being taught to respect elders, Kuzara tried to be polite despite her fear of the girl. Maybe she would survive the encounter.

"Good afternoon, Yumi," she said timidly.

"Yeah, good afternoon, runt."

"Hey! That was uncalled for!"

Yumi was about to reenter her hut but decided to stay and play for a little longer. She towered over Kuzara and tightened her fists.

"Oh really," Yumi started. "Well frankly, princess, I don't think you deserve anymore special treatment than you already get." She began to circle around Kuzara like a predator, intimidating her into submission. "You walk around this village like you own the place, just because you can pull a few waterbending tricks that the rest of us haven't figured out yet-"

"That's enough, Yumi."

Kuzara saw beyond Yumi's broad shoulders to where yet another waterbending student stood.

"Humph. Whatever you say, Kane. I'm tired of talking to her anyway."

Yumi reluctantly reentered her hut, though not before giving Kuzara one last smug, death glare before she did so. The young waterbender heaved a sigh of relief, wiping away the tears that were building up on her eyelid. She wouldn't allow herself to appear weak and dainty in front of the fifteen year old boy she (kinda sorta maybe) liked.

"Are you alright, Kuzara?" Kane said as he walked up to her. The boy had short, messy brown hair and blue eyes, which contrasted her long, black locks and gray eyes. He was tall and rather muscular for his age, though Kuzara figured that it was because he was training to be a warrior. Kane was, after all, the second most talented waterbending student that Chief Powhatek had and he was one of the oldest students as well. His skills probably proved useful enough to the men that they had no problem sending him out on every hunting trip.

After realizing that she was taking forever to answer his simple question, Kuzara cleared her throat and finally said, "I'll be fine. Thank you for the help. You seem like a really helpful guy, as evidenced by the fact that you just helped me which was really sweet of you. I'd love to help you out with something, whatever you need. I mean, that is, if you want. I'm certainly not trying to impose. I don't want you to get the wrong idea…but yeah I'm fine."

Kuzara mentally punched herself but physically she just stood there awkwardly twiddling her thumbs. Kane offered a bemused smile.

"Glad to hear," he said with a light chuckle under his breath. "Happy birthday by the way."

"You remembered my birthday?"

"Well, yeah. Everyone in the village knows, of course."

"Oh right." Kuzara prepared to mentally harpoon herself just before Kane unexpectedly held his hand out to her.

"Come on. Let's have some fun for your birthday. I know a great place to practice our waterbending."

Still twiddling with her thumbs and feeling like she could faint at any moment, Kuzara placed her hand in his. She gave him a nervous smirk and he gave her an uncontainable grin. They walked out of the village, holding hands, and not caring who saw. Kuzara would never care who saw.

* * *

Chief Powhatek was one of the many people who watched as Kuzara and Kane went on their merry way. He was, however, the only one that wasn't smiling. This was because he knew that this charming couple would not last. Life would have something completely different in plan for Kuzara. He loved the girl and knew she was meant to bring about great change in the world and, more importantly, their tribe. He counted on it.

The last thing that Kuzara needed was a distraction, especially if that distraction carried the risk of domesticating her. Where would all of her drive and ambition go once she was relegated to nothing more than the average housewife? No, he could not let that happen. He could not allow the plan that he had set forth into motion eight years ago to be curtailed so easily.

For the sake of the village and the entire Water Tribe, he would do just about anything to stop this. And he already had an idea how.

* * *

Comments and Reviews are much appreciated! Hope you like :)


	2. Chapter 2

_Kuzara was walking down an icy pathway she had never seen before. She was surrounded by her people, each of them taking the same path. They were calm but Kuzara was not. Everything was wrong. She was afraid. More than afraid, her soul was absolutely petrified at its very core yet her body continued to move. She could do nothing to stop herself. She had no control. Her body did not obey her. Was this even her body? She could only watch._

_Actually no, she could also feel. She felt every bit of motion from her swaying limbs to the deafening snowstorm that pelted her mercilessly. She felt every single flake of snow. The beat of her heart reached speeds she had only experienced when she was alone in the wild tundra. A penetrating shiver coursed throughout every vein and artery. Her very blood trembled. Why was she so terrified?_

_Her lips were pursed so tightly that it began to hurt. She turned her head (without commanding it to do so) at the sound of a crack. And then another crack drew her attention. Her head spun wildly around and she heaved out the breath that was trapped within her stifled lungs. She wasn't even aware that she was holding it in. Then the cracks stopped and the noise was replaced by the endless wind._

"_Is something wrong?" a voice said._

_Kuzara didn't recognize the voice or the face of the woman once she turned to see her. It took her a second to realize that she felt much taller than she usually was. _

_Kuzara was now facing the direction where her people were migrating from. She meant to ask the woman before her what was going on but her lips did not obey her. She remained silent._

_The woman smiled warmly and laid a hand on Kuzara's face. She spoke softly, "Everything will be fine. I promise. You worry too much. Look, the end is almost here." The woman points to where Kuzara's people were moving. Though shrouded in darkness, the icy trail eventually lead to a gigantic mass of land._

_And then she heard a crack. And then another. And then the world stopped making sense. There was silence just before the collapse. Kuzara's legs no longer connected to the ground. The screams of her people could barely be heard over the sound of the tons of ice crashing into the sea. Kuzara's body hit the water. Invisible needles stabbed and skewered her skin on all sides and she didn't dare stay in any longer. _

_She bended the water around her, spiraling upwards and creating a water spout. She propelled herself high enough to reach the pathway she and her people were on. Parts of it were still crumbling and she barely noticed the people in front who hadn't fallen. As soon as she got back on her two locked and nearly frozen feet, Kuzara looked behind her._

_The pathway was gone. She looked down to the raging waters. Hundreds of her people had fallen. Friends, family, mothers, fathers, infants…they struggled to keep their heads afloat as the thundering waves engulfed them all. Kuzara jumped in._

_The pain was instant but so was the drive. She swam to the nearest group of people she could find and latched herself to them, a mother and her baby. Kuzara propelled them back to the pathway and dove back in immediately._

_She opened her eyes under water and saw two brothers on the verge of sinking. She jetted her way towards them. They were farther than they had appeared, though. Her lungs felt as if they were shrinking. Kuzara panicked. What could she do? _

_Suddenly she used her waterbending in a way she had never thought of before. Without even intending to, Kuzara created an air pocket around her mouth and nose, allowing her to breath._

_Her body apparently acting on muscle memory, Kuzara jetted to the sinking men. She brought them to the surface and onto the pathway. She looked back at the sea…and was crestfallen._

_Kuzara saw just as many bodies in the water as before. She saw less that were moving._

_Crumbling to her knees, Kuzara choked back her anguished sobs. Her jaw clenched shut, her body fell numb, and her tears froze before they could stream off her face to the sea below. She felt the tremors of the cracking ice sheets once again and wanted nothing more than to stay exactly where she knelt. Her sorrow would keep her there for eternity. No force on Earth could budge her. She never wanted to move. She never would._

_And yet she did._

* * *

The scream Kuzara unleashed when she awoke was ungodly. Several villagers as well as her parents were so frightened by the sound that they were sure that Kuzara had been possessed by a demonic spirit. Even when it was revealed that Kuzara's only ailment was a nightmare, the young waterbender still pondered that possibility.

"I've had strange dreams before but they were never like this," she told her parents after the villagers had left. "It actually felt like I was there. I felt everything and the imagery was so real."

"What exactly looked so real? What was it about?" her father said.

"I was walking along with our whole tribe somewhere and I just felt extremely afraid. I don't know why. I couldn't control my movements but I felt like I was really there. Then I heard the ice cracking and then a woman talked to me."

"What woman?" her mother said.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't even remember what she looked like. She seemed to know me though."

"Okay and then what?" her mother said.

"Then the ice broke and almost everyone in our tribe fell into the sea. I tried to save people but there were too many and people were already dying and…I didn't know what to do!" Kuzara wept openly again. She was hoping the warm love of her mother and father would calm her down. They would hush her heavy breathing and reassure her that it was all a nightmare. None of it was real. She waited for one of them to embrace her, to soothe her with delicate words. It never happened.

"Kuzara…who told you all of this?" Her mother's voice was severe and suspicious. There was no warmth to be gathered from it. Only disgust.

"Siska!"

"Shut up, Alrick! Kuzara, who told you all of this!? Why would you tell us this story!? How could you be so cruel!?"

"Cruel…how am I being cruel? What is going on?" Kuzara said.

"Alrick, slap your daughter."

"Siska, that's enough! It was just a dream. There is no possible way anyone could have told her-"

"YOU HEARD WHAT SHE SAID! THAT WAS NO DREAM! SOMEBODY TOLD HER! HOW ELSE COULD SHE KNOW!?"

"Yelling will not solve this, Siska! Stop being irrational!"

"Mom! Dad! What are you talking about!?"

It was no use. Once the two started screaming at each other, there was no stopping them. Their mad, ravenous voices repelled everyone in the village, including Kuzara. She stormed out of the hut, unable to handle all the negative emotions she was experiencing. She needed to escape.

* * *

Kane hadn't been on the defense like this for some time. Practice waterbending duels were rarely suspenseful, at least for him. His friend, Kesuk, must be really determined to win this time.

The duel was normal enough at first with Kane hammering away at his opponent quickly, so he wouldn't have enough time to use Kane's attacks against him. Water whips and bullets were flying everywhere and Kesuk was forced to be on the move for a while. Then Kesuk got bold and shot an ice spear at Kane, who quickly deflected it. Kesuk, however, took the opportunity to create a wave and surprise Kane.

Kane was knocked off his feet but then took control of the wave. He stood upright and turned it into a water shield to protect himself from Kesuk's bullet attacks. Kane had to concentrate then on defense, his muscles tensing up while his heart pounded away.

Kesuk turned Kane's shield against him but Kane dodged and turned the attack back on Kesuk. Kane's opponent split the water bullet into two smaller attacks and maneuvered them around his body, flinging them back at Kane.

The crowd of students as well as Chief Powhatek remained completely silent as the struggle raged on. They had expected Kane to win easily, and were utterly breathless as the sound of the grunting warriors filled the air with each attack.

Kane tried to catch his friend off guard by slashing forth a fierce water whip at his feet, spinning around to avoid Kesuk's latest bullet, and sending a second whip for Kesuk's face.

Kesuk saw through this strategy and took control of the first water whip and swiftly angled it upward to block the second water whip. The two warriors ceased fire. They panted heavily and assumed a defensive position, waiting for the next possible strike. Neither knew who would make it.

In the distance, Kane saw Kuzara join the rest of the students in watching him. He gave his friend a determined grin, tensing up his body for the next move. He swiftly shot a water bullet at Kesuk and then partially melted the ground beneath him, causing Kesuk to lose his balance. The attack connected perfectly and Kesuk was beaten to the ground, ending the duel.

Everyone who was watching the fight crowded around Kane, showering him with the admiration and attention he was used to receiving. Kuzara stood a few feet away, waiting for some one-on-one time instead. Chief Powhatek helped Kesuk to his feet.

"That was a cheap trick!" Kesuk said. Chief Powhatek sighed.

"There are no cheap tricks when it comes to survival, Kesuk. Like the water that our people control, we must learn to adapt and overcome anything in order to become great."

Kesuk seemed unsatisfied with the answer but Chief Powhatek's attention was already drawn away from him and on to Kuzara, who was supposed to have off from waterbending training today. Today was only boys, after all. Yumi wasn't around. So why was Kuzara? It doesn't take long for him to see the reason. As soon as the crowd of admirers surrounding Kane dispersed, Kuzara stepped forward.

Kane spoke first with a proud tone and a tall stance. "Did you like the show?"

Kuzara could barely contain the blush that crept across her face. "I only caught some of it. I hope I didn't miss too much."

"Nah, you didn't. The duel didn't last too long, really. Nothing to brag about to my parents or anything…"

"Actually, I was just going to ask you about that. If I could meet them. Your parents."

"You've met them before. Everyone in the village knows each other, after all."

"I know but I mean I would like to get to know them more…if that's okay. I certainly don't want to intrude. Because if it's really too much trouble then never mind me ever asking at all…because I don't want you to think I'm that kind of girl who just causes trouble for everyone and everything and…"

As Kuzara once again prepared to mentally harpoon herself, Kane politely interrupted her.

"Hey, it's okay! Relax, relax. I can take you to see my parents. No problem."

"Oh…well…that would be great!"

* * *

They were in Kane's hut now, waiting for food to be served since Kuzara wanted to avoid her own parents as much as possible. Kane's parents did not object and happily accepted the young girl into their home. Kane's mother, however, was wary.

"She's only thirteen years old, Kane. And she's rather plain-looking too, don't you think?" she whispered.

"Mom! Don't talk like that! What if she could hear you?" Kane said, agitated with his mother's bluntness. Kane was often confused as to how someone who was only forty years old could sound as if she was a senile old woman. He looked over at Kuzara who was talking with his father, desperately hoping that nicer words were coming out of _his_ mouth, at least.

"You see, Kuzara, when a man and a woman love their parents enough to want to please them and provide them with grandchildren, what they do is…"

Apparently not. Kane quickly snatched up Kuzara and told his dad to pipe it, as dinner was about to start and dinner was no time for such talk.

"But I want to know what he was going to say…" Kuzara said. Alas, the subject was dropped and Kuzara's mind switched straight to the heavenly seal jerky that Kane's mother produced and set on the dinner table before them. Kuzara barely noticed when Kane's little brother, Nuka, entered the room. All that mattered now was seal jerky.

Dinner with Kane's family was actually rather interesting and tame compared to the dinners with her own family, Kuzara decided. Kane's mother was an excellent cook and his father seemed like an affable man. He was surprisingly old, though. He was even older than Chief Powhatek!

"Sixty eight years, three months, and twelve days to be exact! I tell you, Kuzara. Never get this old! Not unless you're waiting for grandchildren…which I still am by the way," the old man said with his eyes staring indignantly at Kane.

"Dad, I'm only fifteen. You know the rules of our tribe. Men and women only become of marrying age at sixteen. That's how it's always been and that's how it always will be."

"Yeah, well grow up faster. I could die any second now and I want to see some grandkids if it's the last thing I do."

"Dad, don't talk like that!" Nuka said. Kuzara finally took more notice of the boy now.

Nuka was twelve years old with decent waterbending prowess and an excitable nature. Because he had just recently turned twelve, Nuka was to go through what every other male waterbender must go through to prove their worth. It was a rite of passage that was kept secret from the women of the water tribe. Kuzara figured that it was a test similar to what Chief Powhatek had put her through when he sent her to fend for herself in the frozen tundra. She, however, knew nothing about the true nature of the test.

Kane, however, did. "Don't take dad too seriously, Nuka," he said, comforting his brother by placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's just grumbling as usual. It's nothing to worry about. All you should be worried about is passing tonight's test."

"What test?" Kuzara said.

"Today is my little brother's rite of passage. It will determine if he is mature enough to be a warrior and protect our village."

"Yeah, well, whatever the test is, I'm gonna ace it! It'll be no problem!"

Kuzara paused. "You mean…you don't know what the test is?"

Nuka replied as earnestly as ever. "Not until I get there. Wherever 'there' is. My brother is taking me. I'll be alright."

"Oh, enough of this talk. Let's move on to a different subject, please." Kane's mother said.

"Yeah, like grandchildren."

Rolling her eyes in amusement at Kane's father, Kuzara went back to nibbling on her seal jerky when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned her head to see none other than Chief Powhatek standing at the entrance.

"Chief Powhatek, what brings _you_ to our humble home?" Kane's mother said as Kuzara tried in vain to shrink herself due to sheer embarrassment of eating with another family.

"Is this about my little brother's test?"

"No, no. This is about something completely different. I have to speak with your father alone about something urgent." Chief Powhatek looked to Kane's mother. "You don't mind if I speak with your husband privately do you?"

"Oh, no, not at all! We'll just wait outside."

Kuzara got up and trailed the others as they left, hoping to draw as little attention from Chief Powhatek as possible by being silent. Silence, however, would not save her.

"Oh, and Kuzara," Chief Powhatek said in a detached tone, stopping the young girl in her place. "I think it's time for you to go home."

"But I…I just really don't want to be around my parents right now-"

"Kuzara, listen to the Chief," Kane said. "You can come by tomorrow."

Kuzara's head drooped and she gave a heavy sigh. She _really _didn't want to be near her parents after what happened that morning. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten. Still, she never disobeyed the Chief. Nobody did.

Clutching her overcoat, Kuzara reluctantly went home. She didn't turn back or wonder why Chief Powhatek wanted to speak with Kane's father. She just tried her best to go home and fall asleep, hoping endlessly that the dream would not return that night.

It did.

* * *

Sorry it took me so long to update everyone. Things kept coming up (a trip to Florida, a fashion show, school in general etc.). It's still too early in the story for things to be off the wall crazy or anything yet so please be patient. I hope you all have had a wonderful few weeks and that you liked this latest chapter. Comments and Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks!


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